FLIP + CHING

Happy New Year

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Ching under Life.

Before we start recapping the year that passed, allow me to catch you guys up…

2008 is the year that Brian started working for Viega, I completed my MBA from Wichita State University, and we dealt cards on a cruise ship.

2009 is a year of firsts. We attended Zoobilee for the first time. Brian had his first trip to Germany. He also visited the Philippines for the first time. I completed Leadership Westar. Tita Sol adopted Molly.

2010 was the year that we spent a lot of time with the Dills. It started out when we rang in the New Year at Kansas City Power & Light with Jay, Becca, and Mama Dill. A month later, we were traveling with them again. This time to San Francisco. We did a lot of traveling that year.

2011 was the year that we started by getting stranded at McCarran International Airport (Las Vegas). That didn’t deter us from traveling, though. We traveled through the East Coast with the Dills that summer and had a lot of firsts. We also got to see James Taylor perform twice: once at Intrust Bank Arena and again at Tanglewood. I also had my first ER trip and my first biopsy. Exciting stuff!

2012 we attended a few weddings, most notably Cousin Tracy and Jeff’s destination wedding at Coral Cove Resort in Jamaica. I got my Zumba Basic 1 License and I took Brian to Nashville for his 38th birthday. We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary by closing on our house and then I ended the year with a thyroidectomy.

Now that you are all caught up, let’s talk about what’s happened to us since then.

Brian and I both played in the Cards for the Cure poker tournament. Neither of us did well, but we had a lot of fun. I have a couple of Zumba classes that I teach on Saturdays now so I’m thinking of skipping the tournament this year, but Brian will likely be playing in the tournament. I’m hoping he takes the whole thing down this year.
Sheryll, Clayton, and their kids drove up from Dallas to visit us. It was a short visit but we had a wonderful time hanging out with the Orbases. We were hoping that they would visit us again but that may not be happening anytime soon as they’ve moved back to the Philippines, which makes me really sad.
After years of attending various fundraising events, we finally made Splurge! magazine. After the first one, we made the magazine a few more times this year. You’d think we were stalking their photographer or something. LOL.
I had to endure the worst winter we’d had in years without Brian. He was in Arizona at the time.
Brian and I got each other handguns for Valentines Day. I know. How romantic, right? We made a few trips to the shooting range this year to get further acquainted with our new toys… err, weapons.
I survived the Fight for Air Climb (a fundraiser for the American Lung Association) at Cessna Stadium. Thanks to my friend Jodi for talking me into it.
Brian and I went on one of my most favorite dates of all time. We completed a sculpture scavenger hunt on the Wichita State University campus. The best part was that we both got mistaken for a couple of college students. LOL.
We had some Walking Dead watch parties. The best one being the Season 3 finale watch party because Chef Jason actually joined us for dinner, though he could care less about the show.
Dad gave Brian his airboat. Things haven’t been the same since.
We attended the annual Filipino ball at the Marriott after several years of not attending the event.
We attended the Celebrity & Chef Cook Off benefit for the Orpheum. As fundraising events go, this one should be on everyone’s list because it is super fun. And the food is amazing to boot!
In the realm of professional development, I completed Leadership Elite.
We threw Brian’s parents a nice 40th wedding anniversary party catered by Truffles. Thanks to all who helped make the event possible, specially Kevin and Kasey for the decorations.
We discovered Cards Against Humanity, my new favorite card game.
Brian learned how to make lumpia.
I attended my first Zumba Instructor Convention and picked up a couple more licenses in the process. I’m now licensed to teach Zumba Toning and also Zumba Kids + Kids Jr.
I delivered my first webinar.
I attended the MEA Customer Relations Roundtable in Minneapolis. While I was in the area, I got to check out Mall of America and the famous spoon bridge.
Brian and I helped with the Labor Run.
I got a new double oven electric range for my birthday, which wasn’t without its challenges. We’ve made pretty good use of the two ovens though so, in the end, it was all worth it.
We got to see some amazing performances such as MOMIX: Botanica and Cutter J the Absurdist.
Brian’s parents officially moved to Oklahoma so we ended up hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas at our house this year.
We had our first ever post-Halloween party.
I had my first trip to Davenport, IA.
I completed the 8-week land instructor training at the YMCA and started teaching Zumba at Andover YMCA.

Man, it’s been a busy year! Here’s hoping that 2014 is just as amazing!

All American Diner

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink.

We got to try All American Diner when we were in Oklahoma last Saturday. It was a beautiful day for a drive. Temperatures almost reached 60.

All American Diner offers great value for the price, but it’s definitely no Livingston’s. I can relate to the mixed reviews on Urbanspoon. I had the chicken fried chicken meal and it was just okay and my sweet tea tasted a little odd. Although, it’s good food relative to the price so you get excellent value.

After lunch we went to check out CHEF’STORE, where Brian found this giant immersion blender. We also stocked up on mixers. That place is awesome!

While we may not be going back for All American Diner, we’ll definitely be going back to CHEF’STORE to pick up some supplies! LOL.

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Pictures from Missy’s Birthday

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Ching under Zumba.

Here are some pictures from Melissa’s Zumba birthday party at Zeal last Friday. We did almost two and a half hours of Zumba and it was super fun. So much fun that it’s got me thinking about having my own Zumba birthday party.

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Christmas Day Wake Up Call

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Ching under Things to Do.

This is definitely something to consider if you ever end up staying with us. You’ll probably want to get up before we do. Otherwise, you might get woken up to this.

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The Day After Christmas

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Ching under Things to Do.

The day after Christmas consisted of eating leftovers and house cleaning. The in-laws brought Scooter with them and so we had to make sure that the house was thoroughly vacuumed after they left. My allergies tend to react badly to pet dander so we have to keep the house clean and free of dander at all times.